What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?

@audphile1 

I’m assuming the unit voltage is correct and you just need a proper power cable. Not sure why soulnote says you can’t use any power cord that’s in working order

I have had a good look at the power cord SoulNote supplied, and without dissecting it, it does look like a standard, earthed, three connection power cord.  The distributor, you and common sense, all say any power cord will do.  The distributor also says all his customers use expensive audiophile-grade power cords!

So why does SoulNote explicitly state that only the supplied power cord should be used?  Possibly it has magic properties, internal shielding, anti-static impregnation, hidden ferrite rings.  I don’t know. 

Or possibly, they don’t want their customers to waste money on expensive aftermarket cords!  I prefer that explanation.

In another thread, we are discussing XLR cables.  SoulNote produces XLR cables which are unshielded, but specifies shielded in the user manual for my SoulNote E.1 Ver 2 Equalizer.  They are not shy of charging big money.  Their RCC-1 Clock Cable is about A$16,000 for 1.2-m.  Fortunately you only need one per clock

oops.  I've just re-read my SoulNote User Guide and I cannot find any text that specifies shielded cables for balanced operation.  My mistake ;-(

If you’re talking about the current output of a cartridge it’s generally to get a handle on how much current it can deliver to the phono, so you can disregard the phono input Z or assume it is zero. Then the current output is approximated by Vout divided by internal Z or R. This is how one decides whether the cartridge is suitable for a current driven phono, where input Z is ideally zero but never really is. In a voltage driven stage, the cartridge output immediately is seen as a voltage when it encounters the resistor at the phono input. An LOMC cartridge with a 2 ohm internal Z and an 0.2mv output makes more current that a LOMC with the same Vout and a 10 ohm internal Z. (Using Z and R interchangeably). In your original statement you did not mention internal Z at all. That’s all I’m saying.

@richardbrand cool. Am I incorrect in thinking this phono EQ supports your current MC or MM cartridge?

@audphile1 

this phono EQ supports your current MC or MM cartridge?

Yes it does. Both my existing cartridges are MM types

1. A new Audio Technica VM540ML currently in a Garrard 301 / SME 3009 Series 2 improved combo, and
2. an old Shure V15 Type III with a new Jico 192-VN35E (SAS/B) stylus currently in my Holbo Mk2 air bearing system.

The SoulNote E-1 can only support one MM at a time - changeover means re-plugging the cables.  It also handles MC cartridges, again, you cannot switch between them except by re-plugging cables.

But from the front panel you can switch between MM/MC and optical, which is all I really want.  When the optical cartridge arrives, it is destined for the Holbo.

The much more expensive SoulNote E-2 does support front-panel switching between four cartridges.  The much, much more expensive E.3 only supports optical, and only one at that.

I have never owned an MC cartridge, mainly because I discovered optical in the nick of time.  At least on paper, optical has lower effective tip mass than even LOMC, and is not subject to compromised noise levels because of Low Output.

But at this stage, I have never even heard an optical cartridge!